Smelly Fruit is Now Available!

I know what you're saying.

"Hey, I love fruit, but the only fruit I can find actually smells good. Where, oh where can I get some fruit that just stinks?"

Had you asked me that yesterday, I would have shaken my head sadly and wondered what was truly wrong with you. Not today. Today, I bring you the great news that the most prized variety of the Durian fruit, the Malaysian Musang King Durian (ask for it by name!) will soon be imported into Britain.

So, what is this Durian fruit? According to a piece this morning in the Independent,

The name of the durian fruit comes from its distinctive spiky appearance (“duri” is the Malay word for thorn), and it is said to have a delicious, sweet taste and custardy texture.

Yet its high levels of sulphates gives the fruit a powerful and at times off-putting odour, compared a little harshly by some to gone-off meat, sewage or dead rats. It is so powerful the fruit has been banned from many airports, hotels and the Singapore rail network.

It is nonetheless considered a delicacy and, as with strong cheeses, experts say the smellier the better.

To think I've lived this long without hearing the phrase "Experts say the smellier the better."

Stanley Harper, a spokesperson for Malaysia Kitchen, said that while durian fruit have been available in the UK for a couple of years, they are currently only the smaller Thai variety.

“The Malaysian durian is a lot better, it’s the best place to get hold of them,” he told The Independent. “It’s much more fragrant, and available in a lot bigger sizes as well.”

Thanks, Stanley. That is good news. You're saying not only are the Malaysian durians stinkier, they're bigger too! Kind of like saying a movie was terrible, but at least it was long.

Bon Appetit.